LaMar Clark
LaMar Clark | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 1, 1934 |
| Died | November 5, 2006 (aged 71) |
| Nationality | American |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 46 |
| Wins | 43 |
| Wins by KO | 42 |
| Losses | 3 |
LaMar F. Clark (December 1, 1934 – November 5, 2006) was an American professional boxer who fought in the heavyweight division. He was active from 1958 to 1961 and fought a recorded 46 times in his 3 year-career, most of which in his home state of Utah. Clark has the current record of most consecutive knockouts at 44 (including unsanctioned bouts).[1][2] It is still however unclear how the officials of the Utah State Boxing Commission sanctioned most of his bouts versus inexperienced debutants being aware of his knockout-winning streak without ever questioning the level of opposition.
The Guinness Book of World Records credits Clark not only with the most consecutive 44 KOs record, set at Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 11, 1960, but also with the world record for most knockouts at one night for he reportedly knocked out 6 opponents in one night (5 in the first round) at Bingham Canyon, Utah, on December 1, 1958.[3] This helped to put his name not only to the Guinness Book, but in the sports history books as well (cf. Boxing Legends: Greatest Boxers, Toughest Fights, Classic Rivalries)[4] without any asterisk to his achievements, which are questionable to say the least, with his sensational record-breaking six-at-a-time fight night main event with a seven-seconds knockout that was reportedly held at the place, which was underpopulated at that time,[5] and soon became a ghost town.[6]
An uneducated glance at the Clark's official career record statistics (43–3, 42 KOs, 28 of which were scored in the 1st round) could create an illusionary impression of Clark being one of the greatest knockout artists of all time, one of the all-time boxing greats pound-for-pound for sure (and it actually did, with his bout versus Tony Burton in Palm Springs was refereed by legendary Jack Dempsey himself.) However, a more careful look at his record breakdown tells that over 90% of his fights were against limited-to-none opposition. His few match-ups against considerable level opponents ended with Clark being knocked out by world-class contenders. His entire career might have gone completely differently had his manager been less careful in selecting opponents for him.[7]
Amateur career
Clark claimed an amateur record of 25–2, winning a regional Golden Gloves championship in the process.[7]
Professional career
Clark debuted on January 4, 1958 in a fight against John Hicks which he won by decision after 4 rounds. From his next fight with Willard Whitaker to his January 11, 1960 bout with Kenneth Hayden, Clark would amass a 44 knockout streak. Of his total 46 bouts 27 were against boxers making their professional debut.
His last fight was on April 19, 1961 against Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay. Ali knocked out Clark in the 2nd round breaking his nose. Clark retired after his fight with Ali.[8][9][10]
Clark died on November 5, 2006.
Professional boxing record
| 46 fights | 43 wins | 3 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 42 | 3 |
| By decision | 1 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Opp Record | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | Loss | 43–3 |  Cassius Clay |
5–0–0 | KO | 2 (10), 1:27 | 1961-04-19 | Freedom Hall State Fairground, Louisville, Kentucky, USA |
|
| 45 | Win | 43–2 | Chuck Wilburn |
6–12–4 | KO | 2 (10) | 1961-03-04 | Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
|
| 44 | Loss | 42–2 | Pete Rademacher |
6–3–1 | TKO | 10 (10), 2:27 | 1960-06-29 | Derks Field, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
|
| 43 | Loss | 42–1 |  Bartolo Soni |
12–2–1 | TKO | 9 (10), 2:02 | 1960-04-08 | Weber High School Gymnasium, Ogden, Utah, USA |
|
| 42 | Win | 42–0 | Kenneth Hayden |
0–4–0 | KO | 1 (6), 0:59 | 1960-01-11 | Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
|
| 41 | Win | 41–0 | Kooey Garcia |
debut | KO | 1 (8), 1:07 | 1960-01-02 | West Jordan, Utah, USA |
|
| 40 | Win | 40–0 | Charley Davis |
debut | KO | 1 (8) | 1959-12-04 | George Nelson Field House, Logan, Utah, USA |
|
| 39 | Win | 39–0 | Tony Borne |
debut | KO | 1 (8) | 1959-05-04 | Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
|
| 38 | Win | 38–0 | Treach Phillips |
debut | KO | 1 (8) | 1959-05-04 | Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
|
| 37 | Win | 37–0 | Tony Burton |
4–2–1 | KO | 4 (6) | 1959-04-04 | Polo Grounds, Palm Springs, California, USA |
|
| 36 | Win | 36–0 | Rod Orell |
debut | KO | 1 (8), 1:29 | 1959-03-20 | Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
|
| 35 | Win | 35–0 | Ferrin Barr |
0–2–0 | KO | 1 (8) | 1959-02-07 | Helper, Utah, USA |
|
| 34 | Win | 34–0 | Ferrin Barr |
0–1–0 | KO | 2 (6) | 1959-01-26 | Eldred Recreation Center, Provo, Utah, USA |
|
| 33 | Win | 33–0 | Bob Hall |
0–3–0 | KO | 1 (8) | 1959-01-24 | Helper, Utah, USA |
|
| 32 | Win | 32–0 | Ox Anderson |
debut | KO | 2 (8) | 1959-01-23 | Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
|
| 31 | Win | 31–0 | Phil Paxton |
debut | KO | 1 (8), 1:39 | 1959-01-16 | Uintah High School Gym, Vernal, Utah, USA |
|
| 30 | Win | 30–0 | Dennis Forsland |
debut | KO | 1 (8), 1:31 | 1958-12-26 | Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
|
| 29 | Win | 29–0 | Ferrin Barr |
debut | KO | 2 (8) | 1958-12-22 | Cedar City, Utah, USA |
|
| 28 | Win | 28–0 | Cornell Butler |
2–9–0 | KO | 1 (8), 1:21 | 1958-12-15 | Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
|
| 27 | Win | 27–0 | Allan Hedge |
0–2–0 | KO | 1 (8), 0:35 | 1958-12-15 | Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
|
| 26 | Win | 26–0 | Del Randall |
debut | KO | 1 (8), 0:22 | 1958-12-01 | Bingham, Utah, USA |
Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 25 | Win | 25–0 | John Lowd |
debut | KO | 1 (8), 1:19 | 1958-12-01 | Bingham, Utah, USA |
Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 24 | Win | 24–0 | Dick Pierce |
debut | KO | 1 (8), 0:44 | 1958-12-01 | Bingham, Utah, USA |
Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 23 | Win | 23–0 | Jack Read |
1–2–0 | TKO | 1 (8), 0:07 | 1958-12-01 | Bingham, Utah, USA |
Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | Tom Kidd |
debut | KO | 1 (8) | 1958-12-01 | Bingham, Utah, USA |
Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | Wayne Ennis |
debut | KO | 2 (8), 1:37 | 1958-12-01 | Bingham, Utah, USA |
Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Sain Thompson |
debut | KO | 1 (8) | 1958-11-29 | Kanab, Utah, USA |
Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Jimmy King |
debut | KO | 1 (8), 2:12 | 1958-11-28 | Kanab, Utah, USA |
Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Hal Crump |
debut | KO | 2 (8), 1:40 | 1958-11-28 | Kanab, Utah, USA |
Part of 'Intermountain Heavyweight Champion' tournament. |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Ken Howard |
debut | KO | 1 (4), 1:35 | 1958-11-10 | Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
|
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Dick Tanner |
0–7–0 | RTD | 2 (4), 3:00 | 1958-11-10 | Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
|
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Maurice Leniece |
debut | KO | 1 (4), 2:11 | 1958-11-10 | Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
|
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Ricky Smith |
debut | KO | 1 (4), 2:32 | 1958-10-13 | West Jordan Elementary School, West Jordan, Utah, USA |
|
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Oscar Talley |
0–4–0 | KO | 1 (4), 0:55 | 1958-10-13 | West Jordan Elementary School, West Jordan, Utah, USA |
|
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Rusty Davis |
debut | KO | 1 (6), 2:01 | 1958-09-11 | Derks Field, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
|
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Joe Sullivan |
0–1–0 | KO | 4 (8) | 1958-07-26 | Arena, West Jordan, Utah, USA |
|
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Willie Dalton |
debut | KO | 1 (8) | 1958-07-17 | West Jordan, Utah, USA |
|
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Dynamite Jackson |
1–5–0 | KO | 1 (6), 0:37 | 1958-07-07 | West Jordan, Utah, USA |
|
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Buck Dixon |
0–1–0 | KO | 4 (4), 0:39 | 1958-06-04 | West Jordan Park, West Jordan, Utah, USA |
|
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Jerry Olster |
debut | KO | 2 (8) | 1958-04-05 | Cedar City, Utah, USA |
|
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Buck Dixon |
debut | KO | 1 (4), 2:30 | 1958-03-03 | Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
|
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Keith Jacobsen |
debut | KO | 1 (4), 1:02 | 1958-01-28 | Fairgrounds Coliseum, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
|
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Jack Read |
1–1–0 | KO | 2 (8) | 1958-01-21 | Cedar City, Utah, USA |
|
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | John Hicks |
0–1–0 | KO | 3 (8) | 1958-01-18 | Cedar City, Utah, USA |
|
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Willard Whitaker |
debut | KO | 2 (10) | 1958-01-11 | Cedar City, Utah, USA |
|
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | John Hicks |
debut | PTS | 6 (6) | 1958-01-04 | Cedar City, Utah, USA |
References
- ^ David L. Hudson Jr. (13 May 2009). Combat Sports: An Encyclopedia of Wrestling, Fighting, and Mixed Martial Arts. ABC-CLIO. pp. 63–. ISBN 978-0-313-34384-1.
- ^ John Grasso (14 November 2013). Historical Dictionary of Boxing. Scarecrow Press. pp. 102–. ISBN 978-0-8108-7867-9.
- ^ Guinness Book of World Records, 1988, p. 359.
- ^ Boxing Legends: Greatest Boxers, Toughest Fights, Classic Rivalries by Angus G. Garber, 1988, p. 123
- ^ Bingham Canyon Demographics & Statistics
- ^ For example, George Foreman took up five opponents on April 26, 1975, at 12,000+ Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada.
- ^ a b Historical Dictionary of Boxing by John Grasso, 2013, pp. 102-103.
- ^ "Muhammad Ali's ring record". ESPN. 19 November 2003. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
- ^ Thomas Hauser (1991). Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times. Simon & Schuster. pp. 38.
- ^ Felix Dennis & Don Atyeo (2003). Muhammad Ali: The Glory Years. miramax books. p. 58.
External links
- Boxing record for LaMar Clark from BoxRec (registration required) (history)